### How the Upper Limit Problem Works "_Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed our inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure._" ### Hidden Barriers Gay Hendricks lists 4 barriers that are causing the upper limit problem to be triggered. "_If you have a deep, old feeling that there's something wrong, bad, or flawed about you, you will find yourself grappling with that issue every time you break through to greater love and financial abundance._" "_This thought creates cognitive dissonance, the mind rattle that occurs when you try to hold two opposing thoughts at the same time: Given that I am fundamentally flawed (or wrong or bad), how can I possibly be this happy, rich, and creative?_" "_The cognitive dissonance must be resolved in one of two ways: by returning to your previous thermostat setting; or by letting go of the old, limiting belief, which allows you to stabilize at the new, higher level._" "_You're likely to feel, at a deep and unconscious level, that your quest for a life of your own and success on your own terms has come at the cost of leaving behind your roots and being disloyal to those who loved you._" "_The guilt you feel makes you put on the brakes, holding yourself back from ultimate success and keeping you from enjoying the success you already have. You follow breakthroughs of success with bouts of self-punishment._" "_An old belief that you're a burden can hold you back from expanding to your full capacity for success and enjoyment._" "_The guilt you feel makes you put on the brakes, holding yourself back from ultimate success and keeping you from enjoying the success you already have. You follow breakthroughs of success with bouts of self-punishment._" "_The gifted child is often convicted of stealing [attention](./attention) from other members of the family._" "_One unconscious solution gifted children devise is to turn down the volume on their genius so the others don't feel threatened by it._" "_The other solution is to continue to shine brightly but to turn down the volume on their enjoyment of it. If they can appear to be suffering, they can get empathy and sympathy from others instead of [jealousy](./jealousy)._" See: [Fear of Outshining](./fear-of-outshining)